Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-01-11
All the Employees on the Consoi'
dated Road Strike.
New Men Engaged and Few Cars
Running.
Great Crowds Gather ON Washingt gtOn
street and Threaten Disturbance.
The Trouble Satisfactorily Adjusted-A
Complete Victory for the Strikers.

plOyeS Wnlcn aOJ0ufn6Q at 3. ~ this morning.
The roads comprise the Middlesex and High.
land roads, connecting Maiden. Everett
Charlestown and Somerviile with Boston and
the Boston Highlands district.
All employees, including conductors, driv-
ers. hostlers, horseshoers, feeders and tow
boys have left work. There were no cars
running on these lines this morning, and the
patrons of the road were Obliged to walk
into town or use the nearest train, stage or
other conveyance. The exact grievance of
the men is not known, but il is believed TO be
the failure of President Powers to keep his
part of an agreement recently made with the
men.
Charlestown car was started from
Charlestown Neck this morning and several
Shawmut Avenue cars have passed over the
line since, manned bv non union drivers and
conductors, who are protected by from four
to six policemen on each car. Thus far 90
A. Nj } there is no know edge of any disturb
ance, and it is not generally expected there
will be any.
A later dispatch says that the officers of the
road had no use for the hundred or more
policemen sent from various stations to the
different termini to protect the property of
the road and a large number of them were
released from this special duty.
General Manager Rugg and assistants were
busy trying TO induce outside men to go to
work tor the road but the unemployed
men who were approached were in sympathy
with the strikers and they met with little
| success in this line.
President Powers Of the consolidated road
evinced great astonishmept at the strike. He
had every reason to believe that the men
were in the main satisfied with the adjust
ment of the few differences that seemed to
exist. He had not until recently been in a
position to personally direct all the details of
the management of the men, but had inform
ed them short time ago that he proposed TO
give the matter of extra work and pay his
immediate attention, and he further told
them that he would guarantee to arrange
everything to their satisfaction. The strike
he considers wholly unwarranted.
The tie-up came SO suddenly that the Off
cers of the road had no opportunity to make
any provisions for carrying on business.
They hoped to find men enough by noon to
run their cars as usual.
Manager Rugg says that when they agreed
to meet the men more than half way IN the
matters of time and pay they would act rea-
sOnablv and confer with the railroad officials
with view to arranging everything to the
satisfaction of all. The only compl ants that
were made, he says, were in reference to
meal hours, pay of trippers, Sunday work
boarding house keeping by officers of the
road and extra men to carry the pole at sta
bles and stations. There were not more
than ten men affected by the change of sched
ule so as to be deprived of their full hour
for dinner and supper, and not more than so
conductors and drivers who were put on to
the trip list
A car was taken out from the Dudley
Oh, al tba lr,, no,
ing the night foreman OF the Shawmut street
stables, and the conductor one of the reeu-
lar street aids A large number of police
prevented any demonstration at the starting
point, but beyond here and at intervals dur
ing the entire trip, the car was greeted with
boots and misses, but no violence was at
tempted.
President Powers at ii o'clock advertised
for 800 able-bodied men to work on the
tied-up road, all of whom would be guaran-
teed steady work and good wages.
Quite number of cars were running on
the Shawmut avenue and Charleston lines at
noon, These were all under police patru
and met with no more violent demonstration
than houts, yells and cries of "scab, scab,"
which followed them through the more
crowded parts of the city These greetings
were chiefly from the drivers of other teams,
news Uo) lew peuestflaHs anu a COnslueT-
able number of idlers who lined the curb
stones along Washington street.
The employees of the Metropolitan roaC
held meeting this morning and voted to
appropriate $4,000 to assist the strikers A
meeting of the employees of the South Bos
ton road was attended by the same result,
and SIC. 600 is thus subscribed
The horseshoers who joined the strikers
are employed bv the National Horse Shoeing
Co. and number 500. This company has the
handling of 10000 horses used by the Consol-
idated. Metropolitan, South Boston and
Cambridge roads. 1t is unde rstood that the
men Joined the strike to sustain the tie.up
and gel more pay. all being Knights of La
Dor. The horses on the Roxbury end of the
Consolidated road are shod by employees
and these have refused to work.
Advces from Maiden and Everett state
that all the Consolida ed road employees left
this morning, and that after the horses bad
been fed the stables and stations were locked
up and no attempt was made to send cars out.
These places have good steam railroad facili-
ties and not very much inconvenience is
caused. One of the strikers said this noon
that there was no need of having policemen
about, as there would be no trouble. The
public, he said, do not fully understand the
strikers side of the case; what they object
to is the knocking of of regulars and the
substitution of trippers. He said
The company found that they could save
money by employing men by the trip, and
they have taken many of the regulars who
have been on the road for years and put them
on trips, which is very unfair. Some of them
can earn only from 81 l-2 cents day up to
81 or Sl25, depending on the number of
trips. 1t is hard on q man, with a family
especially, to start out in the morning and
not know whether or not he is going to earn
enough to feed his children. We appealed
to the company and they promised to fix mat
ters. That's all the good it old. The COM
pany didn't do anything. We sent to them
again and with the same result. Then we
gave them warning and we struck. The
Knights of Labor did not order the strike.
The men took the responsibility upon them.
selves and claim to have promises of ample
financial support, and can hold out as long
a. the company can.
The strikers remain very quiet and orderly,
the most of the hooting being done BY boys
and idle people.
A crowd in ounoaitiou n thu arahs opfh